Coronavirus: This grocer provides the worst shopping experience in Ottawa

Are
you tired of going to supermarkets like the new Farm Boy on Metcalfe
Street and Whole Foods in the Glebe whose friendly staff are dealing
with this terrible coronavirus situation sensitively to public health
considerations?

Let me then tell you about my experience at Massine's Your Independent Grocer on Bank and Somerset.

First
I call them to verify that they have a product on the shelf. They tell
me it's not on the shelf yet. But, just come after 5 PM and it will
surely be there. It's just sitting in the back.

Fabulous.

So,
I arrive there, and what's the first thing I see? I notice a long line
up of about 15 people who are lined up along Somerset and well-spaced
apart.

Normally,
I would go elsewhere, but I really needed this product. Besides, I
thought, it must be very crowded in there, and Massine's management is
just doing the responsible thing by regulating traffic density in the
store in order to ensure proper "social distancing".

But, having waited there for about 30 minutes, think again!

Once
I was allowed to go into Massine's by a rather grumpy looking member of their staff, I doubt there was more than 15 grocery
shoppers in this huge supermarket. Each person in that store could have
their own aisle!

They
even had in this sparsely populated store arrows and "Do No Enter" and "green arrow" signage to
regulate what direction these 15 shoppers were supposed walk in each
aisle (photos attached).

I asked them what's up with these signs? They said it was required by "Ottawa Board of Health".

Oh yeah? Funny, I don't see such signage at other supermarkets in the area.

And
just to top-off your "alternative shopping experience", some guy came
on the intercom system to keep urging us handful of shoppers to keep two
feet apart and then ordered us in the store to "go home as quickly as
possible!"

You
know when you have become a successful business like Loblaws that owns
this store when you can basically tell your customers to "f--k off" like
this.

And
as for the product that I was seeking, it was neither there or on the
shelf. At least, that was what one very rude member of their staff
said.

I
coined a new term just to characterize my experience at Massine's.
That is "Corona-Fascism" - a group or company which uses a public health
situation to engage is the arbitrary or oppressive use of power which
goes beyond recommended medical practices to ensure pubic safety.

So there you have it. Go to Massine's Your Independent Grocer to get the Corona-Fascist shopping experience that you have been missing!

Comments

There are 3 comments on this post

Date: 29 March 2020

Posted By : Don\'t worry about it

@Editor, I'm sorry that one item wasn't on the shelf for you. Also I ask of you have you ever stocked shelves, and no I don't mean at home. More grocery store shelves. Stores get large orders come mixed with many other goods on pallets that are more or less 5-6 feet tall. And sometimes the people that stack the pallets are careless of the items and they get damaged or even yet the item doesn't show up at all. They urged you to go home to avoid catching this virus for your safety and others safety. It's hard enough keeping profits up at this time. I hope you understand now and can actually have a proper viewing of the store.

Date: 29 March 2020

Posted By : John Stokes

Yes, indeed. Other supermarkets have shown much more sensitivity in this area. I applaud this writer's observations. We must protect public health while protecting our society from drifting into fascism.